Apparatus for casting ingots



Nov. 11, 1941. H. o. SHEPARD v APPARATUS FOR CASTING INGOTS Filed May31, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN R D: IIIZZI... I:

Nov. 11, 1941. H. o. SHEPARD 2,262,208

APPARATUS FOR CASTING INGOTS Filed May 31, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2'-ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 11, 1941 2.262.208 APPARATUS roa oas'rme moorsHarold Oleott Shepard, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United Engineeringand Foundry Company,

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application May 31, 1940, Serial No. 338,010 11 Claims. (01. 22-512)This invention relates to the casting of ingots, and more particularlyto apparatus for casting tall ingots in bottomless molds. The inventionis applicable to the casting of ingots from aluminum alloys, but it isnot limited thereto as it may be used with any metal that can be cast ina bottomless mold in the well known manner.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide, apparatus for theabove-mentioned purpose which is simple in construction, which is rapidin operation, which permits finished ingots to be readily carried away,and which is automatic in operation.

In accordance with this invention molten metal is poured into abottomless mold where it and the ingot formed therefrom are supported bya vertically movable pedestal which serves as a temporary bottom for themold. As metal is poured into the mold and starts to solidify into theform of an ingot the pedestal is slowly lowered so that more metal canbe poured into the mold. The side walls of the mold are chilled by acooling fluid which is sprayed thereon and then preferably collected andflowed onto the sides of the ingot emerging from th bottom of the mold.When the pedestal reaches a suitable point below the mold the ingotisreceived and supported by other means which control its downward rateof travel independently of the pedestal. The pedestal is then quicklylowered awayfrom the ingot so that-the ingot can be deposited upon acarrier by which the completed ingot is carried away from beneath themold. Preferably, the carrier. comprises a carriage which is movedinwardly between the top of the lowered pedestal and the bottom of thedescending ingot for receiving the ingot. Suitable automatic controlsare provided so that the various parts of the apparatus move in apredetermined open bottom of the mold. In accordance with this inventionthe metal side walls of, the mold are surrounded by a plurality ofvertically spaced pipes 4 connected together by a header (Fig. 1) towhich a suitable cooling fluid, such as water, is delivered underpressure. The pipes are provided with perforations through which thewater is sprayed upon the side walls of the mold to cool them so thatthey will rapidly conduct heat away from the molten metal that is pouredinto the mold in order to form an ingot 6. The sprays are shielded by ashield I surrounding them, and the lower flange of the mold is providedwith openings 8 through which drains the water that has been sprayedonto the mold.

In order to support the molten metal in the mold, as well as the ingotthat it forms, the mold is provided with a temporary bottom at the.beginning of the casting operation. This is in the form of a pedestalII mounted on the upper end cylinder l3. As the metal in the moldsolidifies into the form of an ingot, the piston rod is allowed toslowly slide down into the cylinder in order to lower the pedestal andthereby permit the solidified portion of the ingot to slowly emerge fromthe bottom of the mold as molten metal is added to its top. The portionof the ingot emerging from the bottom of the mold is further cooled andsolidified by the same water that was sprayed onto the sides of the moldand which drained through openings 8 into the frame where it isdirected'against the sides of the ingot by deflector plates l4 suspendedfrom the top of the frame. If desired, further spray pipes l5 can bemounted in the frame where they surround the ingot.

It is a feature of this invention that after the ingot has been loweredby the pedestal far enough to insure that its lowermost portion is quitesolid and self-sustaining, it is received by other supporting meanswhich then control its downward rate of travel independently of thepedestal. Such means preferably comprise a pair of driven pinch rolls llwhich grip the ingot between them. These rolls are rigidly mounted onshafts l8 which are journaled in the upper ends of links H! at the endsof the frame. at one end of the shafts are supported by and pivotalIy'mounted on stub shafts 2 I that arejournaled in bearings22 projectingfrom the frame. The remaining links are rigidly mounted on stub shafts23 pivoted in bearings 24. The upper ends of the links can thus'be swunginwardly and outwardly to adjust the pinch rolls toward and away fromeach other, the links being locked in position by any suitable means 25.Each shaft 2| is driven from a motor by a gear or pulley 26 mounted on'the outer end of the shaft the inner end of which carries a pinion 21that meshes with a The links or by any other suitable means.

gear 28 on the overlying pinch roll shaft I158. The pinch rolls aredriven at a speed that will permit the ingot gripped by them to belowered at the same rate that it is lowered by the pedestal.

, Preferably, the pinch rolls are insulated from the frame and form partof an electric circuit which is closed when the ingot engages them. Thiscircuit comprising rolls H and wires M and 48 connecting the rolldriving motor M1 to the source of power-indicated generally by Li. andL2 is completed when'the descending ingot is engaged by the rolls, thusactuating the motor M. As soon as the rolls receive the ingot, thepedestal II is lowered more rapidly by connecting the circuit of whichthe pinch rolls form a part to a solenoid 52 which when energizedactuates a plunger 53 operably connected to a lever 54 for rotating thevalve to the desired position. As shown in Figure 3, the valve is sopositioned that fluid under pressure is admitted thereto from a sourc ofsupply (not shown) through pipe 55 and directed to the top of cylinderl3 through connecting pipe 56. Fluid from the bottom of the cylinder isexpelled through pipe 51 to the valve 5| from which it is directed to asump or to the atmosphere. The pedestal ll thus drops away from theslowly descending ingot and comes to rest in a recess 36 in the'floor offrame 2.

When the pedestal enters this recess, as shown in Figure 1, it trips aswitch 31 that closes an electric circuit comprising switch 37, wires 53and 59, solenoid BI and a source of power indicated generally by Li andL2. A plunger 60 positioned within solenoid 6| is operably 'connected toa lever 82 of the valve 63 into which fluid is directed from a source ofsupply (not shown) through pipe 64. When the valve is 'in position asdisclosed in Figure 3, fluid under pressure passes through the pipe 60to the bottom of a cylinder 65 and the fluid is trapped in the oppositeend and expelled therefrom through pipe aeeaeos pressure to th bottom ofcylinder it through pipe 5'5 and expelling the fluid which is trapped inthe opposite end through pipe 56 to a sump or to the atmosphere. In thismanner the pedestal i i is again brought back up into the lower end ofthe mold so that a new ingot can be cast in the manner just describedwithout material loss of time. Switch t6 may be tripped manually todeenergize the solenoid 69 when the pedestal II is raised to its topmostposition in order that there be no opposition to the movement of plunger53 when solenoid 52 is energized.

If ingots of smaller cross sectional area are desired a smaller mold canbe mounted on frame 2 and pinch'rolls ll then adjusted toward each otherso that they will grip' the narrower ingot formed therein.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple and method of practicing my invention and have illustrated anddescribed what I now consider to represent its best embodiments.However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of theappended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. Apparatusfor casting tallingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an inwardly,away.from the ingot after it hasbeen 61 and valve 63 to a sump or to the atmosphere.

It is a feature of this invention that the piston in this cylinder isconnected by a vrod fllito an ingot carriage 42 slidably'mounted ontracks 13 that extend into the frame on both sides of recess 36 in itsfloor. Rod 4i moves the carriage inwardly until itis directly below thedownwardly moving ingotwhich it receives. Pouring of the v metal intothe mold isstopped at such a time as will permit the top of thecompleted ingot to pass laterally beneath the pinch rolls after it hasbeen dropped a short distance into the carriage. If shorter ingots aredesired, filler blocks can first be placed. in the carriag so that theingots will not drop very far from the pinchrolls. After the ingothasbeen received by the carriage the cylinder operably connected theretomaybe reversed manually in order to cause rod 4 -l to withdraw thecarriage from frame 2 so that theingot can be readily removed from it bya crane switch v46, and a source of power indicated generally by L1 andA plunger 13 positioned within solenoid 69 is connected to the movableplunger 53, positioned within solenoid 52, which in turn is connected tolever 54 of the valve 5|.

When the solenoid B9 is energized, the plunger 13 will be pulleddownward to cause the valve member to rotate, thus admitting fluid under7 'receivedby' said supporting means, means adapted to be disposedbetween the lowered pedestal and the ingot for receiving the completedingot in upright position and for 'carryi'n it away from beneath themold, and control means for causa bottomless mold of materially lessheight than the ingots to be cast therein, a vertically movable pedestalserving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means for lowering thepedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifying of metalpoured into the mold, means below the mold for supporting th growingingot and controlling its downward rate of travel, control means forcausing the pedestal-lowering means to move downwardly away from theingot after it has been received by said supporting means, a carriagespaced laterally from the pedestal, means for moving the carriage inbetween the lowered. pedestal and the ingot for receiving the completedingot and carrying it away from beneath the mold, and control means forcausing the pedestal lowering means to rise back up to the mold so thata new ingot can be cast. g

3. Apparatus for-casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into the mold, rolls joumaled below the mold forfrictionally engaging opposite sides of the growing ingot, means fordriving the rolls to control the downward rate of travel of the ingot.control means for causing the pedestal-lowering means to move downwardlyaway from the ingot after it has been engaged by the rolls, meansadapted to be disposed between the lowered pedestal and the ingot forreceiving the completed ingot in upright position and for carryingitaway from ,beneath th mold, and control means for causing the pedestallowering means to rise back up to the mold so that a new ingot can becast.

4. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a framesupporting the mold and provided in its floor with a recess directlybelow the mold, a vertically movable pedestal serving as atemporarybottom for the mold, means below the frame and extending upthrough it for lowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon bythe solidifying of metal poured into the mold, means below the mold forsupporting the growing ingot and controlling its downward rate oftravel, control means for causing the pedestal-lowering means to movedownwardly away from the ingot and into said floor recess after theingot has been received by said supporting means, a carriage spacedlaterally from said recess, means for moving the carriage inwardly onsaid floor and over said recess between the pedestal therein and theingot for receiving the completed ingot and carrying it away frombeneath the mold, and control means for causing the pedestal-loweringmeans to rise back up to the mold so that a ne ingot can be cast.

5. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for ahe mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into the mold, means below the mold for supporting thegrowing ingot and controlling its downward rate of travel, control meansautomatically actuated when the ingot engages said supporting means forcausing the pedestal-lowering means to move downwardly away from theingot after it has been received by said supporting means, means adaptedto be disposed between the lowered pedestal and the ingots for receivingthe completed ingot in upright position and for carrying it away frombeneath the mold, and control means for causing the pedestal-loweringmeans to rise back up to the mold so that a new ingot can be cast.

6. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingot to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into the mold, means below the mold for supporting thegrowing ingot and controlling its downward rate of travel, control meansfor causing the pedestal-lowering means to move downwardly away from theingot after it has been received by said supporting means, a carriagespaced laterally from the pedestal, means actuated by the pedestal whenit reaches its lower limit of travel for moving the carriage in betweenthe lowered pedestal and the ingots for receiving the completed ingotand carrying it away from beneath the mold, and control means forcausing the pedestal-lowering means to rise back up to the mold so thata new ingot can be cast.

7, Apparatus for casting t'all ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot =ls formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into the mold, means below the mold for supporting thegrowing ingot and controlling its downward rate of travel, control meansfor causing the pedestal-lowering means to move downwardly away from theingot after it has been received by said supporting means, a carriagespaced laterally'from th pedestal, means for moving the carriage inbetween the lowered pedestal and the ingot for receiving the completedingot and carrying it away from beneath the mold, and control meansactuated by the carriage as it moves away from the pedestal for causingthe pedestal lowering means to rise back up to the mold so that a newingot can be cast. 1

8. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an tween the lowered pedestal and the ingot forreceiving the completed ingot in upright position and for carrying itaway from beneath the mold, and control means for causing the pedestallowering means to rise back up to the mold so that a new ingot an becast.

9. Appar tus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, means forspraying a cooling fluid on the side walls of the mold, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into tle mold, means below the mold for supporting thegrowing ingot and controlling its downward rate of traveL'control meansfor causing the pedestallowering means to move downwardly away from theingot after it has been received by said supporting means, means adaptedto be disposed between the lowered pedestal and the ingot for receivingthe completed ingot in upright position and for carrying it away frombeneath the mold, and control means for causing the pedestal loweringmeans to rise back up to the mold so that a new ingot can be cast.

10. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, means forspraying a cooling fluid on the side walls of the mold, a verticallymovable pedestal serving as a temporary bottom for the mold, means forlowering the pedestal as an ingot is formed thereon by the solidifyingof metal poured into the weld, means for collecting said sprayed fluidand nowing it onto the sides of the portion 01, the ingot below themold, means below the mold for supporting the growing ingot andcontrolling its downward rate of travel, control means for causing thepedestal-lowering means to move downwardly away from the ingot after ithas been received by said supporting means, means adaptedto be disposedbetween the lowered pedestaland the ingot for receiving the completedingot in upright position and for carrying it away from beneath themold, and control means for causing the pedestal lowering means to riseback up to the mold so that a new ingot can be cast.

11. Apparatus for casting tall ingots, comprising a bottomless mold ofmaterially less height than the ingots to be cast therein, a pluralityof pipes surrounding the mold and adapted to be connected to a source ofcooling fluid under pressure, said pipes being perforated for sprayingthe fluid onto the side walls of the mold, a shield surrounding thepipes and mold, a vertically movable pedestal serving as a temporarybottom for the mold, means for lowering the pedestal as an aaeaaoa oftravel, control means for causing the pedestal-lowering means to movedownwardly away from the ingot after it has been received by saidsupporting means, means adapted to be disposed between the loweredpedestal and the ingot for receiving the completed ingot in uprightposition and for carrying it away from beneath the mold,

and control means for causing the pedestal lowering means to rise backup to the mold so that a new ingot can be cast. I

HAROLD 0. SHEPARD.

